


Sam Versus the PTA

by ThornedRose44



Series: Teachers AU (National City High School) [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: (Obliviousness is a Danvers thing), Attempt at Humor, Coach Danvers, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Humor, Oblivious Alex Danvers, Teacher AU, The PTA, matchmaker ruby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-23
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-07-16 01:39:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16075667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThornedRose44/pseuds/ThornedRose44
Summary: Sam hated to admit it but things may have gotten slightly out of hand...In all seriousness, it was Julie’s fault.Okay that's not really true. It was actually Ale-, uh… Coach Danvers’ fault for looking that good in basketball shorts and having those brown eyes that just made Sam melt but she refused to admit all that… so Julie.It was all Julie’s fault.Or,Sam gets guilt tripped into joining the PTA but stays because who can really resist the charm of Coach Danvers? Also, Ruby tries to speed things up by endeavouring to become an olympian, Alex proves obliviousness is definitely a Danvers' trait and Sam becomes what she hates the most... the head of the PTA...





	1. It's All Julie's Fault

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aguti](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aguti/gifts).



Sam hated to admit it but things _may_ have gotten slightly out of hand...

In all seriousness, it was Julie’s fault.

Okay that's not really true. It was actually Ale-, uh… Coach Danvers’ fault for looking that good in basketball shorts and having those brown eyes that made Sam _melt_ but she refused to admit all that… so Julie.

It was all Julie’s fault.

Sam was the CFO of a medium sized tech company, one of those companies that still claimed to be a family business despite its board members slowly being replaced with people the original founders had never met. Sam loved her job, it challenged her on a daily basis and more than provided for her and Ruby. The only minor drawback was that it left little free time for Sam once you take into consideration ferrying Ruby around to the various scholastic clubs she was an active member of and helping her with her homework.

Sam did not have free time.

She especially did not have time for ridiculous bake sales to repair the ever falling apart church steeple that Julie truly believed to be the crumbling pillar of the community.

Julie was one of those active community members, whose only joy in life came from gaining the adoration of complete strangers for her supposed ‘kind and selfless’ acts. She was head of the PTA, organised bake sales, charity fundraisers and was even a fun runner. Sam would argue that the emphasis should definitely be on the word ‘fun’ as you could not by any stretch of the imagination call what Julie did ‘running’.

Sam genuinely didn’t know how Julie had time to do it all.

It was probably a combination of Julie’s heavy-handed guilt trip, Sam’s stubbornness and inability to back down from a challenge that resulted in Sam trudging into the classroom at seven in the evening when she could have been at home watching reruns of Masterchef with Ruby, mocking the professionals whilst she threw a ready meal into the oven for them to eat.

Ruby had just started her freshman year at National City High School and Sam had, by bad luck, arrived five minutes earlier than school let out. The reason this was such bad luck was it meant she had no reason or excuse to run away when Julie cornered her in the parking lot.

Julie had gone on and on about how the PTA was lacking members, and how a young mother like Sam would be perfect and how with her youth she would be able to give the rest of the members a much needed break and how much the PTA does to support a child as active and involved as Ruby and how….

Sam wondered if Julie actually knew how to finish a sentence or if, maybe, she had worked out that as long as she didn’t pause at any point no one would have a chance to argue back.

Sam agreed to go to one ( _ONE!_ ) PTA meeting mostly to free herself of having to continue to listen to Julie non-stop. She made it clear that she would only go to one. Sam didn’t have the time nor the desire to become actively involved in a club that would be her own personal nightmare.

Ruby had given her a pep talk of Rocky Balboa proportions for nearly an hour after Sam had admitted she had been strong armed into attending to make sure her mother was suitably amped up enough to stick to her guns in the face of Julie’s guaranteed disapproval when she reaffirmed that she would only be attending that one meeting.

With a miserable huff, Sam fell into one of the plastic chairs that had been arranged into a circle in a similar setup to an alcoholics anonymous meeting further depressing Sam as she looked around at the overly preppy mothers and a few stalwart fathers laughing and joking by the crappy coffee dispenser that had been provided for the meeting.

“Mind if I sit here?”

Sam only barely prevented a long suffering groan from escaping when she heard the question from somewhere to her left. She slowly lifted her gaze away from the string of texts Ruby had sent her, already anticipating the sight of a perky sports mother who was dressed in the latest fashion and went to pilates, yoga and spin class whilst Sam considered the trek to get the pizza from the deliveryman at the front door exercise.

Sam shrugged as she glanced up at the woman, hoping a dismissive action would keep the inevitably cheerful blonde mother from speaking to her more than necessary.

It wasn’t a perky, blonde, fashionable mother.

It was as if the universe had decided to create a single human being with everything on Sam’s wishlist and present it to her.

Warm, melted chocolate eyes that seemed to emit a fierce, breathtaking determination. Dark red hair that was chopped into a messy, yet practical bob which just begged for Sam to run her fingers through it. A hard set smile that would be intimidating if it wasn't for the crinkles around the eyes that revealed a sincerity and kindness that made Sam instantly feel like all her problems could be solved by simply sharing them with this stranger.

The only part Sam had half-assumed correctly about the woman before she saw her was her clothing. She was wearing athletic wear that was true. However, it wasn’t the latest trend or style, and certainly didn’t look like a mere fashion statement. Black basketball shorts revealed bruised and slightly grass stained legs that led down to well worn and scuffed, previously white (but now decidedly grey) trainers. On top she was wearing a light grey Henley, also mud stained, and battered by age and use, admittedly it did successfully highlight toned and well defined arms so Sam had no intention of complaining.

Sam’s shrug immediately rolled out into nothing, and her fingers spasmed with utter shock at the sight before her, this resulted in her phone falling to the ground with a resounding clatter.

“Shit.” Sam squeaked, the sudden sound of her phone hitting the floor prompting her to finally drag her eyes away from the woman in front of her and she quickly scrambled to collect her fallen item.

“Oh, let me get that for you.” The perfect stranger offered, crouching down at the exact same time Sam lunged forward out of her seat.

“No, don’t worry, I’ve got it-” Sam tried to insist but it was far too late.

In the ensuing confusion and tussle, their heads collided with a loud ‘thunk’ which rattled Sam's already disjointed thoughts and caused the redhead to full back on her heels and rub her forehead with the palm of her hand.

“Ooph.”

“Ouch.”

The two women both winced simultaneously as they recovered from their less than stellar introduction.

“I am so sorry.” Sam apologised, her own pain fading to be replaced with sheer embarrassment and guilt. She reached out a hand to help the other woman up, ignoring the excited flutter of butterfly wings in her stomach as she felt the callused palm press against her own.

The woman practically flipped back up onto her feet, with only a minimal amount of assistance, flashing the sweetest of smiles in contrast to her impressive physical display.

“It’s alright, here’s your phone.”

It was only then, once Sam had gotten over the dazzling smile directed her way, that she noticed two things: one that her phone was being held out for her to take and second that she was still, unnecessarily, holding the woman's other hand.

Sam let go of the callused hand with a jolt and accepted her phone with a shy smile and nod of her head, “Please take a seat. Are you sure you’re okay?” Sam asked, cringing in on herself upon spotting the red mark marring the pale skin of the woman's forehead who was slipping easily into the seat next to Sam.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” The woman assured, with a dismissive wave of her hand, “How about you?”

“Fine, my parents always told me I had a hard head.”

At least, that was that they used to declare when she valiantly tried to learn to run before she had to learnt to walk. As a toddler, small child, teenager (and adult), she had the unfortunate proclivity of literally running head first into anything that would get in her way, she quickly became a familiar face at the emergency room and was on a first name basis with the majority of the nurses and doctors.

“Yeah, I can tell.” The redhead murmured, lifting up her own phone to examine the visible imprint on her forehead.

“I didn’t mean…”, Sam began, trailing off when the redhead shot her a playful smirk, “Nevermind. Um… I’m Samantha Arias, by the way, but please, call me Sam.” Sam offered out a hand, trying to channel her professional persona.

The other woman didn't hesitate to accept the handshake and gave Sam’s hand a firm yet not too tight squeeze whilst she introduced herself, “Nice to meet you, Sam. I’m Coach Danvers but please, call me Alex.”

“Alex.” Sam repeated the name, liking how it sounded dropping easily off her tongue.

“First meeting?” Alex inquired conversationally.

“Yeah, still not quite sure what to make of it.” Sam admitted, aiming a frown at the over the top cackling laughter coming from a far too perfectly dressed group who presumably referred to these meetings as soirées.

Alex glanced in the direction Sam was looking and hummed an agreement to the statement. When she spoke again, she dropped her volume so that only Sam could hear, creating a private bubble for just the two of them, “Well, from what I’ve gathered so far... the sole purpose of these meetings is to find the most mentally strong person in the world. How, you may ask?”

“That was going to be my next question, yes.” Sam agreed, arching a curious eyebrow, appreciating how the teasing shine in the doe eyes staring back at her seemed to grow brighter as she willingly played along.

“By gathering some of the most dull and frustrating human beings all together in one room, with subpar coffee, chairs that are unnecessarily uncomfortable and an agenda which would make even a decorated war veteran cry.” Alex listed off, dropping her voice down to a mere murmur to be in keeping with the highly classified information she was in the process of sharing. “The person left standing at the end of the school year is declared ruler of the universe.”

“Wow, exciting.” Sam enthused, proceeding to stealthily assess her ‘competition’ as she spoke out of the corner of her mouth, “Got any tips to aid my survival?”

“Don’t drink the coffee.” Alex stated deadly serious, her smirk twisting into a grimace as if reliving a long forgotten horror.

“Noted.”

“And whatever you do…”, Alex leaned forward, drawing Sam inexorably closer. Sam had to force herself not to glance down at the lips that were now so close to hers, “Never, ever run for the position as head of the committee, its the surest way to lose your sanity.” Alex pulled back, far too suddenly for Sam’s liking, flashing her a conspiratorial wink as Julie started to gesture for people to take their seats.

“That implies I didn't lose it years ago.” Sam sighed out, her heartbeat which had skyrocketed with the closeness to the redhead began to return to a more manageable, less emergency-room-required level.

Alex side-eyed her upon hearing the comment, and flashed her a smirk so enticing Sam thought the devil could do with taking some lessons from her, “Ooh, you and I are going to get along so well.”

That, however, was exactly what Sam feared...

The meeting passed far more enjoyably than Sam had anticipated, solely due to Alex’s company and her sharp one liners that were breathed into Sam’s ear regularly causing a shiver of delight alongside a stifled giggle. Never one to be outdone, Sam gave as good as she got. Sam was particularly proud of one of her remarks (about how you could probably substitute everyone at this meeting with their five year old counterparts and it would play out exactly the same) that garnered an unrestrained burst of laughter from Alex which she had to cover up with a particularly nasty sounding cough. Julie politely requested her to leave for a few minutes until she had suitably recovered (those two minutes felt longer than the length of labour to Sam).

The actual (what people would see as the) _important_ parts of the meeting passed as mind-numbingly as expected in the background. The majority of the meeting was spent discussing what should be the _theme_ behind this year’s charity fair: unity or togetherness (Sam was met with some particularly dirty/distraught looks when her only contribution to the discussion was ‘well, aren’t they the same thing?’).

The meeting came to a close with a forced and awkward round of applause instigated by Julie who (once the uncomfortable clapping had died a dragged out and uninspiring death) directed her botoxed smile at Sam. Sam slumped down in her seat immediately as Julie rounded on her with false cheer, putting her on the spot in front of the indoctrinated committee who Sam could have sworn were ominously chanting ‘one of us, one of us’ under their breaths.

“So, Samantha, will we be seeing you next week?”

No, was the answer.

Ruby had prepared her for this, instilled her with the confidence to say no. She had even made a PowerPoint of the main justifications for why her mother should feel confident about saying no (Sam was particularly proud of how far Ruby's presentation skills had come over the last couple of years).

Sam wanted to set a good example for Ruby. Being able to say ‘no’ was an important lesson to teach her young, impressionable daughter.

Sam was already at breaking point when it came to her free time. She worked full time, was a single parent, and most importantly all of her favourite television shows were restarting next week. She literally didn't have the time to join the PTA.

There was also rather a high chance (at least in Ruby's opinion and Sam couldn't really deny her reasoning) that if she was forced to spend prolonged periods of time with Julie (or any of her clones), she was likely to commit homicide. (Sam was rather offended to discover that Ruby didn't think she would excel very well in prison, Sam figured her knowledge of the current tax system would put her in prime position to star in her very own version of ‘The Shawshank Redemption’. They agreed to disagree.)

And even if saying ‘no’ wasn't just the right, responsible and moral choice (which it most certainly was), there was the simple fact that Sam didn't _like_ the PTA.

Sam had absolutely no reason to say yes.

No. A strong, decisive no.

Sam opened her mouth to speak and accidentally glanced to her left as she did so.

Deep brown, affectionate, attentive eyes were staring at her. A soft smile was directed her way. A smile she would do _anything_ to see again.

Say no. Say no. Say n-

“Yes, yes you will.”


	2. Ruby Arias: Sports Star

“What do you mean you’re going back?” Ruby asked, her jaw dropping as Sam fidgeted in the doorway to the living room.

The second she had arrived back home, her daughter hadn't delayed in asking how it went (it being telling Julie to shove her signature fruit cake and PTA invitation where the sun don't shine).

“Well, you know it’s a good cause and it’s nice to be part of a team-” Sam stuttered trying to sound confident and in control despite feeling like a child that had just been called into the principal’s office for a good old, well-deserved scolding.

“What happened to being assertive, and ‘no one can make you do anything you don’t want to do’?” Ruby demanded, crossing her arms over her chest haughtily after turning off the television (Sam knew it was serious when her daughter did that and had to resist making an audible gulping noise).

God, Sam hated it when her daughter used her own words against her as it meant some version of her (past or present) was wrong no matter what she said next.

“That is still true.” Sam declared, “But you know… also… don’t be afraid to be… open-minded to new things…” Sam winced at the awkwardness of her own defence.

Ruby pressed her lips together tightly before tilting her head to the side looking exactly like Sam did when faced with a particularly difficult accounting problem. “Is it a cult? Are you being threatened? Blink twice if I should call the police.”

Sam scoffed and rolled her eyes, “It’s not a cult…”

“Really?” Ruby pushed, totally unconvinced.

Sam opened her mouth to deny it yet again but found the ‘one of us’ chant playing loudly and on repeat in her head.

“It’s cult adjacent.” Sam admitted after a moment’s hesitation.

“Alright, I’m calling the cops.” Ruby announced springing off the couch and diving past Sam into the hallway, intending to grab the home phone.

“Ruby!” Sam yelled, wrapping an arm around her daughter to prevent her from punching in the numbers 911. “I just had an alright time and wouldn’t mind going back…” Sam soothed, pressing a kiss to the top of Ruby’s head as she heard a loud huff of disbelief, “I’m not brainwashed, I swear.”

Ruby gently shrugged out of her mother’s backward hug and turned around, a suspicious glint still present in her eyes as she scrutinised Sam, who forced herself to keep an open and honest expression during the assessment.

Slowly the suspicion drained away from her daughter’s face to be replaced with something far worse. A smug, far too knowing smile.

“You’re right, you’re not brainwashed…” Ruby agreed sweetly, “It’s much worse than that… you have a crush!”

Sam gasped, shaking her head vehemently as she futilely denied, “I do not!”

Ruby, however, was already cackling as she danced away, “Just, please… please... tell me it’s not Julie. I can’t become a fun runner, Mum. I just can’t.” Ruby threw a hand to her forehead, imitating a fainting, romantic heroine who was mere moments away from being struck down with consumption, “I’ll become a runaway. Living on the streets. Fending for myself.”

Sam bit her lip, half in amusement and half in frustration at being so easily caught out, “I don’t know where you got your dramatic attitude from, but it sure as hell wasn’t from me.” Sam shouted after her daughter’s retreating form.

“Pfft… Yeah, right.”

 

* * *

 

For the next two weeks Sam attended her PTA meetings, spending time with Alex for the entirety of the hour and an half.

Ruby, in the meanwhile, had gone into full-fledged detective mode; she was quiet and assessing, trying to piece together exactly who could have caught her mother’s attention whilst also regularly quizzing her on their personal history to ensure the ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’ wasn't taking place. (Sam still felt marginally guilty about letting Ruby watch that specific film when she was so young as it seemed to have had a lasting and scarring effect).

Sam remained tight-lipped, however, not because she wanted to hide it from Ruby or because she was worried about Alex being Ruby's teacher. Honestly, Sam simply didn't want to involve Ruby in something that so obviously had no future. Alex was a friendly face she saw once a week, that was it. Sam got to enjoy having a crush, share a few coy smiles and cause a deep chuckle which made goose pimples spread across her body, every week or so.

It was totally harmless and especially meaningless.

Involving her daughter by so much as mentioning her fleeting attraction to the Coach would be the equivalent of making a mountain out of a six feet deep hole. Utterly foolish and erroneous.

But then the first of the many planned bake sales of that year happened and well… things began to change.

Sam had made two batches of two different muffins: chocolate explosions (Ruby's all time favourite) and fudge volcanoes (Alex may have mentioned in passing that fudge was a particular favourite of hers).

The Arias girls arrived on time at the bake sale for their expected two hour shift on Saturday.

All was going marvelously well (at least it was in Sam’s opinion since no one had stopped by for over half of her two hour stint and she had finally gotten past a particularly tricky level of ‘cut the rope’) when disaster struck.

Alex arrived… in a leather jacket having just got off her incredibly sexy motorbike, and strolled up to the stand.

She proceeded to gift Sam a glorious smile and, after a moment's deliberation, asked for a fudge muffin. The coach even went to so far as to proudly announce in front of Ruby, who was sat absolutely motionless nearby, that ‘fudge was her absolute favourite’ and she couldn't believe how lucky it was that someone had made some for the sale.

Sam quickly handed over a muffin, subtly wiping away the drool escaping the corner of her mouth, whilst pointedly ignoring the cartoonish ‘ _Gotcha_ ’ which had formed above Ruby’s head.

 

Alex took over the stand for her shift after talking happily to the Arias girls for the remaining hour of their allotted time (Sam wondered only in passing why Alex had come by so early for her own shift).

The teasing Sam was forced to endure at the hands of her daughter after the bake sale was excruciating.

Sam survived the mocking and after only a couple of days, Ruby seemed to have forgotten all about it... if you don’t include the five times a day Ruby re-enacted what had come to be known as the ‘drooling fiasco’ (Sam had come to accept that that particular joke would never die).

Hence, Sam was completely taken by surprise by the phone call she received from her daughter that following Wednesday lunch time; Ruby had phoned to tell her that she would be staying late after school having spontaneously decided to join the school soccer team. She would, therefore, need to be picked up later than usual.

“I thought you didn’t like sports.” Sam said dumbly down the phone, not wanting to discourage her daughter but at the same time wondering if Ruby’s investigation into her being a body snatcher was merely a diversion to hide the fact that Ruby had been replaced by one instead.

“I never said that.” Ruby replied defensively.

Sam's brow furrowed so hard not even a galleon's worth of moisturiser would be able to prevent permanent damage. “I specifically remember you saying that being able to run cross country, or a marathon, would only be of benefit in a post apocalyptic society where fuel resources are scarce and we are dependent on our own fitness to outrun zombies, aliens or despotic human factions.” Sam recited verbatim. “You then said that you were more than prepared for _me_ and _you_ to go out in the first few days of whatever had befallen earth if it meant you didn't have to participate in sports day and I didn't have to go to the gym and miss out on Masterchef.” Sam inhaled deeply, trying to recover her breath after her fast paced speech.

Silence followed Sam's words and she was forced to pull the phone away from her ear to check that the call was still connected.

“That was a long time ago.” Ruby muttered dismissively, “People change.” Sam could have sworn she heard the shrug that accompanied her daughter’s words.

“Ruby…” Sam said slowly, exasperation and confusion threatening to overwhelm her, “that was two weeks ago. I remember because you paused the finale of ‘The Walking Dead’ to rant at me, which was shocking behaviour, I raised you better than that.” Sam scolded sharply, “You never interrupt a season finale…”

A deep sigh from Ruby's end of the line practically vibrated the phone in Sam's hand. “I’m hanging up now, Mum.” Ruby singsonged, “Practice finishes at four-thirty, see you then!” And with that final rushed farewell and request, Ruby hung up as promised.

“Ruby!” Sam yelled causing the secretary stationed outside her office to jump out of her seat in fright.

 

* * *

 

“Sam! It's nice to see you outside of the penitentiary.” Coach Danvers in all her athletic glory greeted with a beaming smile as she jogged over to Sam who had arrived on the edge of the field.

“And you too.” Sam chuckled in response, loving how much more alive and vibrant Alex appeared on the field and out of the drab PTA meeting rooms. “How goes practice?” Sam inquired, peering out across the field to see Ruby trying to carefully maneuver the ball with her feet, her tongue sticking out as she concentrated.

“Not bad.” Alex answered earnestly, moving to stand shoulder to shoulder with Sam so they could both watch the young girls play unobstructed. “Start of the season, so the whole team is rather rough around the edges but I must admit I've never seen anyone with the same level of drive to improve as I have in Ruby.” Alex revealed, shooting Sam a rather impressed expression.

“Most teachers prefer to use the word tenacious,” Sam teased, feeling that warm glow of pride whenever someone complimented her daughter’s hard work and ‘don’t quit’ attitude, “less tactful ones usually say stubborn, the particularly honest ones say smart-arse.”

“Like mother, like daughter…”, Alex hummed thoughtfully.

Sam gasped overdramatically at the comment, crossing her arms as she rounded on the Coach, “What was that?”

Alex visibly blanched, “Oh, look… I should really… coach that situation over there…”, the redhead gestured vaguely to two girls completely oblivious to their need for further guidance.

“Nice save, Coach Danvers!” Sam called out as Alex jogged quickly away only pausing to throw a wry grin over her shoulder.

Things began to escalate from there and it was all Ruby’s fault.

Whereas before Sam saw Alex for their shared PTA meetings once a week, now she was seeing her at least four times a week. Ruby’s athletic pursuits appeared to be increasing with each passing day and each sports club she started attending was coached by none other than Alex Danvers.

Sam seriously thought the High School should consider hiring a few more gym teachers as Alex surely didn't have enough hours left in the day for anything other than sleep with how many extra-curriculars she helped with. Then again, those five minutes when she got to talk to Alex at the end of every sports session was probably the best part of her day… so the suggestion to the school board could most definitely wait...

“Soccer. Athletics. Hockey. And now…” Sam listed, glancing uncertainly over at Ruby in the passenger seat.

“Water polo.” Ruby supplied, with a reassuring smile.

Sam un-tightened and tightened her grip reflexively on the steering wheel as she readied herself for the conversation she knew was long overdue, “I know your best friend is the school quarterback and you have a certain… uh… competitive zeal-” Sam began tentatively, trying to keep a surreptitious eye on her daughter's reaction as she voiced her concerns.

“You’re worried I'm joining all these clubs in some childish pursuit to surpass my best friend?” Ruby cut in, getting right to the point, with a neutral, almost slightly amused tone.

Sam blushed a deep red, “Well-”

“Or out of peer pressure to better fit in with the athletic interests of my close friends?” Ruby also suggested helpfully.

Sam pouted in frustration, “I told you I don’t like you reading my parenting books, it means you have all the answers ready and there isn't a book for ‘what to do if your child is smarter than you’.” Sam sighed before muttering under her breath, “At least there wasn’t the last time I looked on Amazon.”

“Uh huh.” Ruby hummed in acknowledgement.

Silence settled over the mother and daughter as Sam concentrated on parking the car outside the leisure centre which housed the swimming pool. The engine fell quiet as Sam turned the key but neither of them made to leave. Sam knew Ruby could see the beads of sweat gathering on her forehead and the way she was practically biting through her bottom lip.

“You know… um…” Ruby coughed out shyly, “you don’t have to stay to watch me… not for this one, as long as you're here to pick me up-”

Sam’s fidgeting ceased immediately and she spun in her seat to face her daughter, “Ruby, don't be ridiculous.” Sam placed a soothing hand over her daughter's and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “I love watching you debate, play chess, play soccer and I will love watching you play water polo, too. I will never let my fear get in the way of supporting you.” Sam whispered the last sentence and then leaned forward to plant a gentle kiss on the side of Ruby’s temple.

“Mum…” Ruby said softly, “you really don't need those parenting books, you already know all the important stuff.”

Sam’s entire face lit up, “I love you, too.” She pulled back and opened her car door, throwing an order over her shoulder, “Now go get changed, the Arias girls are never late.”

 

* * *

 

 

Sam forced herself to take deep breaths as she edged around the body of water as much as possible on her way to the stands lining one side. She chose a seat at the very back, the height giving her an okay view whilst also keeping her away from the pool as much as possible.

Sam didn't know how to swim.

You could argue this was a particularly large oversight on behalf of her parents and herself (she had forced Ruby to attend lessons from a young age to prevent history from repeating itself) but a near drowning at her parents’ lake house one summer when she was five inevitably led to an all consuming fear of water. Her parents, who had always taken a hands off approach with regards to parenting (they were big believers that children should neither be seen nor heard and only be dragged out like a show pony at gala dinners), didn't really care enough to help their daughter overcome the lasting effects of such a trauma.

In some ways being thrown out of their house at the age of sixteen, pregnant and alone, was a blessing in the disguise of a tragedy. It forced her to grow, to develop, it meant Ruby would never be treated as a mere object to show off, it allowed Sam to face and overcome many of her fears… except for water.

That one seemed to stick.

Sam watched as Ruby dived effortlessly into the water and committed herself to completing the exercises and instructions given to her by Coach Danvers, who was walking calmly along the edge of the pool, with keen enthusiasm and commitment. Sam took photos were possible, and resisted checking her work email whenever there was a lull in action. Eventually Alex divided the group in half and set them off in a practice game against each other.

“Hey, how are things going?”

Sam dragged her gaze away from the splashes, reminding herself not to count the seconds whenever Ruby ducked below the surface. Alex was watching her curiously, her eyes flicking to Sam’s white knuckles wrapped around the edge of her seat and her tense expression.

“Not bad, apart from my daughter who seems to be intent on mastering every event at the Olympics by the end of the year.” Sam joked, though she knew her answer came out stilted and uncertain.

“She’s pretty incredible.” Alex complimented genuinely.

Sam adored how much pride Alex always took in her students, she was always gushing about their achievements and accomplishments, never stopping to think that it was her influence and commitment that helped them so much in getting there.

“You know… umm… there's a spare seat up at the front, next to me, if you want a closer look at the action...” Alex rubbed nervously at the back of her neck, her cheeks diffusing with a light pink colour as she made her sweet offer.

Sam swallowed and looked over at the spot in question. Right on the front row, getting lightly splashed every few seconds, the floor in front soaked posing a massive risk of slipping into the water nearby, and the pool itself only two quick steps away in total.

“Err… that's okay. I'm comfortable here.” Sam replied, ducking her head to hide the shame burning inside.

“Oh… yeah, sure.” Alex murmured dejectedly, “I should get back.”

Sam watched her retreating back as she returned to take over from the assistant coach.

“Damn.” Sam would have used a harsher swear word if not for Julie who was eavesdropping not too far away, and bad language was one of the fastest ways for Sam to get offered up as a ‘volunteer’ for whatever event the PTA was planning next.

 

* * *

 

“Ruby! I'm so proud of you!” Sam cheered the second she caught sight of her daughter coming out of the changing rooms.

A month or so had passed since Ruby had begun her numerous sports clubs and in that time she had been selected to play for the soccer and water polo teams (Ruby was a bit too enthusiastic with her offense in hockey and to be honest Ruby didn't mind not being called up to run for the field and track team). Over the course of the month, Sam had sat through numerous water polo training sessions and with each passing week she was able to move a row closer to the pool, she still couldn't sit at the very front but she could now sit behind Alex providing her a major reward for her efforts.

Today was the first water polo match of the year and National City High had managed to clinch victory in the final few minutes, due in no small part to a well aimed assist from Ruby.

“You say that after every competition.” Ruby muttered with an exasperated shake of her head as she was pulled into a tight hug, Sam however noticed the pleased twinkle in her daughter’s eyes which undercut her complaint.

“Doesn't make it any less true.” Sam whispered sincerely, dropping a kiss to the top of Ruby's head before releasing her so as to not ruin her street cred (they had started to watch ‘The Sopranos’ and Ruby had become marginally obsessed with the importance of reputation).

“Excellent game, Ruby!”

The Arias girls turned at the same time to see a beaming Alex striding towards them, positively giddy with joy at her students well earned victory.

“Thanks, Coach.” Ruby replied with a cool shrug but her cheeks turned a bright pink at the compliment .

“You’re a natural in the water. Is your family part mermaid?” Alex joked, looking between the two of them only to see two very blank, slightly awkward expressions directed her way.

“Umm…” Ruby stammered, her eyes darting between Sam and Alex in the vain hope that one of them might hold up a giant cue card, hidden behind their backs, stating in big letters what she should say next.

Sam cleared her throat, the same deep sense of shame and embarrassment filling her whenever she admitted to her fear.

She tried to keep her tone as light and humorous as possible, “If they are it's definitely on her father’s side… I can’t swim… um… I'm actually afraid of the water.” Sam trailed off, her gaze dropping to stare intently at the floor whilst she lightly squeezed Ruby's shoulder to ground herself.

Alex blinked once, taken by surprise at the information, before her eyes lit up and her mouth dropped open into an 'o’ as understanding flooded through her, “Oh… is that why-”

“Yes.” Sam cut in with an undignified wince, “It's kind of embarrassing.”

“Not even slightly.” Alex declared unhesitatingly, her voice firm and unaccepting of anything to the contrary. When Sam finally glanced up she saw an expression of sincere kindness and understanding accompanied by the softest spoken offer, “You know if you ever want to learn… I’ve been told I'm not a bad teacher.”

Sam opened her mouth unsure how to respond. Her fear was screaming at her to run as fast as she could in the opposite direction but her entire body was glued to the spot by brown eyes which made her feel safe and secure.

Sam felt like she was being torn in half by indecision.

Thankfully, that's when Ruby decided to throw her two cents in, tipping the scale irrevocably one way.

“You always said you would only be willing to learn if you trusted whoever was teaching you…” Ruby reminded her with an overly innocent expression which should have spelled out doom and gloom for Sam in big, explosive fireworks. “And you trust Coach Danvers with me nearly everyday...”

Sam pursed her lips, hating and loving in equal parts how goddamn smart and logical her daughter had turned out to be...

“I can't argue with that logic…” Sam agreed cheerily, an unnervingly large smile on her face that did little to hide the deep rooted fear clawing at her insides. “No matter how much I might want to.” Sam inaudiblly added under a heavy exhale.

“How about we start this Saturday?” Alex suggested, clapping her hands together eagerly.

“That sounds… perfect…” Sam mumbled, her mind already starting to countdown the seconds like an internal doomsday clock.

Saturday rolled round far faster than Sam would have liked, especially since she had been blatantly ignoring her impending swimming lesson with the same level of denial present in Pompeians who thought the pleasant view of Vesuvius from their backyards could only be good for their houses’ market value.

It wasn’t until Friday evening that Ruby helpfully reminded Sam that she didn’t actually own a swimming costume. Two hours of frantic driving to find so much as _one_ store that sold a costume in her size and Sam became the proud owner of a primary colour monstrosity.

In the morning, Sam decided to forego breakfast promising herself and Ruby pancakes at their favourite brunch restaurant after her lesson. With gentle encouragements and proud smiles from her daughter, Sam was finally able to stumble out of the changing room and edge towards the water.

Sam’s arrival immediately prompted a sleek figure to begin cutting through the water with strong, certain strokes, towards her. The swimmer came to a stop and didn’t hesitate to lift herself out of the water using toned, mouthwatering arms.

Alex smiled widely at Sam, confidently flicking her wet locks of hair out of her face. Sam hated how weak she was when her eyes instantly dropped down to admire Alex’s simple black costume which revealed enough to fuel Sam’s fantasies for at least a decade.

It wasn’t until Ruby loudly cleared her throat that Sam realised Alex had been speaking.

The rest of the morning passed a lot easier than Sam had anticipated.

Ruby gave Sam and Alex space, choosing to focus on her own swimming in the deep end whilst Alex talked Sam through the plan for that day and the following weeks whilst seated on the edge of the pool, their feet dangling in the water. Sam's nerves steadied upon having a clear plan and goals to work towards.

Next up was getting in the water which was pretty straightforward since the shallow end of the water only came up to her waist.

The trouble really started with _floating_.

Panic would rise and soar inside of her, terror choking up her throat as she was asked to lift her feet up from the reassuring comfort of the floor. After two failed attempts where Sam returned her feet to the ground in a wild thrashing of limbs when water rushed towards her mouth when she failed to find her balance, Alex stepped close and rested her hands on Sam’s shoulders ducking her head to ensure eye contact with Sam.

“Sam.” Alex whispered, the stress and fear seeping out of Sam with each gentle roll of Alex’s thumbs on her shoulders. “We’ll take this at your pace, whatever you feel comfortable with but…” Alex bit her lip, and stared beseechingly up at her, looking like she would willingly sell her soul if it meant Sam would believe her, “I would never let anything happen to you.”

“I trust you.” Sam shocked even herself with how quickly she responded, and how she didn’t doubt the sentiment of her words for even a second.

Alex blinked once in surprise, her brown eyes widening before the cheesiest, most beautiful grin took over her face and it remained there for the rest of Sam’s lesson.

Sam was a floating expert by the end of her hour session, and Alex told her she was well on her way to mastering the doggy paddle. Ruby cheered her on when she embarked on crossing the width length of the pool unaided by Alex’s supporting hands.

The mother and daughter were waiting patiently in the reception area when Alex appeared, marginally startled by the Arias’ presence.

“Breakfast? My treat.” Sam offered immediately in explanation upon seeing the confusion on Alex’s face.

Alex glanced between the mother and daughter, shyly rubbing the back of her neck, “I wouldn't want to impose.”

“You could never.” Sam assured, reaching out to squeeze Alex’s forearm, “Please… we would love to have you.” Ruby nodded vigorously in agreement. “Actually,” Sam started, raising her chin decisively, “I'm not going to take no for an answer, Ruby’s been telling me I need to be more assertive.”

Alex chuckled, imperceptibly leaning into Sam’s touch, “Alright, if you're sure?”

“Absolutely certain.” Sam declared with a definitive nod of her head.


	3. Because of You

A routine developed and set in over the next handful of months following Sam’s first swimming lesson. Alex’s presence was no longer an event scheduled onto the Arias family’s fridge-displayed calendar in big black marker. 

It was no longer necessary. Alex was always there, a built-in and fully expected event that could be counted on as much as the sunrise. She was now a fundamental fixture and didn’t require a reminder in the calendar.

The Arias family schedule went as follows...

Monday: Ruby had debate after school whilst Sam had her PTA meeting in the evening which involved sharing muttered comments with Alex and, on occasion, offering up logical solutions and creative ideas (60% of them were dutifully ignored by the rest of the group, though this was most likely due to the unenthusiastic way she offered them all up). 

Tuesday: Water polo in the evening and then dinner with Alex at what was fast becoming their local diner, especially since the mustachioed owner knew their names and put their usual order in the second they walked through the door.

Wednesday: The worst day of Sam’s week by a mile due to a multitude of reasons. Wednesdays’ consisted of board meetings at work which were tough interrogations disguised as updates, and her own personal admin in the evening. Ruby spent the early evening with her best friend Kyle at the arcade or movies which had the secondary effect of depriving Sam of her daughter’s company and a good enough reason to see Alex.

Thursday: Soccer after-school. The arrival of winter saw Sam progressively wearing more and more layers to bear standing on the edge of the pitch (the only benefit of the cold so far was that Alex had taken to hugging her in a bid to help warm her up). After soccer practice, Alex joined the Arias family for their Masterchef viewing ritual and usually ended up staying late to talk the night away with Sam.

Friday: Another thrilling PTA meeting bookended the working week. This meeting played out almost identically to the Monday one, the only exception being that Julie would sometimes skip the meeting and appoint Sam to chair last minute. 

Saturday: Sam’s favourite day of the week. Swimming lessons in the morning, then a hearty pancake brunch with her two favourite people and a gentle meander around town. The afternoon saw Sam on the sidelines, cheering loudly for her daughter and her soccer team. After that Sam would gently insist Alex join them for dinner and a film at their house. Alex would agree and offer to cook dinner for the Arias girls in thanks. (Alex didn’t really offer, it was more like begged since she had become visibly disturbed by Sam’s and Ruby’s lack of skill in the kitchen). The evening passed by gloriously in Sam’s opinion, nestled between her daughter and close friend watching whatever film Ruby and Alex forced on her. 

Sunday: Mother and daughter day. The Arias girls took turns picking an activity that they could do together. Sam found no day could be a bad day if she got to spend it with Ruby.

“I'm feeling ganged up on…”, Sam grumbled, crossing her arms haughtily over her chest as she slumped further down on the couch allowing Alex and Ruby, seated on either side of her, to high five above her head.

“Welcome to a democratic society, Mum. Majority rules!” Ruby cheered, emphasising her victory by exaggeratedly pressing play on the remote whilst shooting Sam a smug smile, “We are watching Interstellar. Live with it.”

“I'm starting to understand why dictators seize power in the first place…” Sam murmured darkly, causing Alex to chuckle lowly and sink in her own seat so their shoulders rubbed gently against each other. The grumpiness instantly began to leak out of Sam at the light touch.

It was a normal Saturday, it was almost identical to every other Saturday that come before it for the last five months, but it was in that moment with Alex leaning against her, her light chuckle reverberating through the air, that Sam realised she had fallen in love. And Sam knew it that moment that she would do everything it took to keep Alex by her side for the rest of her life. 

 

* * *

  
  


“And I am pleased to announce our next leader… Samantha Arias!” Julie announced jubliantly; Sam could have sworn that she saw a gleeful glint of victory in her predecessor’s eye as she began to lead her (now Sam’s) cult in a round of applause.

It turned out, much to Sam’s utter horror, that Julie had been grooming her to take over from the second she had agreed to attend that very first meeting at the beginning of the year. Sam had also been supporting her own campaign for the position without even realising for the last few months. 

Sam had unknowingly made a name for herself as the number one volunteer on the committee (she had only agreed to volunteer for so many events because it meant she had something to invite Alex to without it being seen as a date). Also, it would be appear that the rest of the committee had actually been taking note of her good ideas even though they still ignored most of them.

The only person that was surprised by Sam’s new appointment was in fact Sam herself. 

(Even Alex was totally convinced Sam loved and was committed to the PTA, oblivious to the truth that _ she _ was solely responsible for Sam’s apparent devotion to the committee.)   

Sam grimaced as she slowly got to her feet, mumbling bitterly under her breath, “Ruby is never going to let me hear the end of this…” Sam took a deep breath and attempted to sound as sincere as possible when she said, “Thank you, Julie.”

Ruby did not let Sam hear the end of it, especially since she, herself, received relentless teasing at the hands of her own school friends who had taken to calling her ‘Princess’ to mark her Mum’s extraordinary rise to power. (Sam may or may not have, there was no substantial evidence to prove one way or another, have replaced a large number of Ruby’s stationary and books with princess themed alternatives when she heard).

 

* * *

  
  


This particular Wednesday was one of the worst.

Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. 

Sam’s laptop broke within the first five minutes of arriving at the office leaving her scrambling to remember the key figures off the top of her head for her weekly interrogation. The board meeting overran creating a domino effect on all the others and resulting in Sam missing lunch and staying way later than she normally did. 

Traffic was awful on the way home and the driver behind her was pretty much continuously beeping his horn at her, failing to understand that in standstill traffic she did not have the ability to drive her car any further forward. By the time she got home her head was throbbing and she just wanted to go to bed but more paperwork was calling her name. She barely had the energy to maintain a conversation with Ruby when the young girl came to check on her.

Just as she got settled in her study with a large glass of wine and her work stacked up on the side, she was disturbed by a loud, obnoxious knocking at the front door. With a heavy sigh, Sam hefted herself out of her chair and opened the front door only to find a pair of Jehovah’s witnesses that refused to leave until they had suitably saved her soul. It took nearly an hour for Sam to convince them to leave and the second she closed the door behind them she slumped pitifully against it trying to keep control of her exhaustion and frustration.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

A resounding knock shook the door currently serving as Sam’s main support, further increasing her headache by at least two more levels. 

That was the final straw. 

“Alright, the truth is: I'm a devil worshipper, so I really don't think Jehov-” Sam began, freezing mid-sentence upon registering who was actually stood on her doorstep.

“Err… Hey.” Alex greeted, shuffling her feet awkwardly.

“Alex! What-” Sam spluttered in shock, embarrassment quickly replacing all other emotions, “I'm not a devil worshipper!”

“Good to know.” Alex nodded, her eyes wide and her expression still rather taken aback. 

“What… what are you doing here?” Sam inquired, immediately stepping back to wordlessly invite Alex inside and to the living room where they both, without prompting, fell into their accustomed spots on the sofa next to each other.

“Ruby called,” Alex replied, ducking her head shyly, “I hope that's okay, she told me you weren't having a good day and I wanted…” She cleared her throat, a light blush diffusing across her cheeks as she tentatively reached out to lay a hand on top of Sam’s, “I couldn't bear the thought that… is there anything I can do?”

Sam blinked slowly, entranced by the soft comfort provided by Alex’s hand, she lifted her gaze to meet Alex’s deep brown eyes that she trusted wholeheartedly.  

She exhaled deeply and asked in a quiet, broken whisper, “Am I good mother?”

“What?!” The loud exclamation of sheer disbelief from Alex was accompanied immediately by her hand squeezing Sam’s so tightly that Sam could feel her bones straining under the fervour that was overtaking Alex. “Yes, without a doubt! Why on earth would you need to ask that? Who made you feel like you weren't? Tell me their names, I swear to god I'll make it look like an accident.”

“No one said anything.” Sam cut in, deeply touched by what she had no doubt (if the fire in Alex’s eyes was anything to go by) was a genuine commitment. “I just…” Sam, bone tired and emotionally wrought, shuffled along the cushions, moving into Alex’s space who immediately opened her arms for Sam to nestle between. “I feel like I'm not there… like I'm missing all the little things which add up to the big things.” Sam confessed, feeling her eyes begin to sting with building tears.

“Is this about the soccer game tomorrow?” Alex guessed without hesitation, knowing the inner workings of the Arias household better than she probably knew her own gym.

The guess was right on the money. 

The monthly shareholder meeting was set for tomorrow at the same time as Ruby’s soccer game, and Sam couldn’t miss it. Ruby acted like she didn’t mind, but Sam knew how much it meant to her daughter for her to be there cheering her on. They weren’t a big family; it was just the two of them. Sam was Ruby’s only cheer squad so there was no one there to cover for her absence. The other kids on her team, on the other hand, always had a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt or uncle in attendance.

It was the dark cloud of tomorrow which had made today so terrible. None of what had happened today probably would have bothered Sam if it wasn’t for the guilt regarding tomorrow that had settled uncomfortably in her chest.    

“There's an important meeting scheduled at the same time and I can't miss it. I feel like a complete failure.” Sam explained, her voice twisting into something bitter and filled with self-loathing for the final comment.

“Sam, it's one game.” Alex murmured into chestnut hair, as she rested her cheek on the top of Sam’s head, “And even if you came to none of them, you would still be an amazing mother.”

“Yeah, right.” Sam scoffed derisively.

“Sam! Listen…”  Alex sharply demanded; suddenly, Alex’s hands shifted to wrap around Sam’s biceps and with determined yet considerate force, she pushed Sam away from her to ensure Sam could see the absolute seriousness and sincerity on her face when she spoke next. “You inspire Ruby everyday, she thinks she can achieve whatever she wants in the world as long as she works hard enough… and that’s all because of _ you _ and the example  _ you _ set for her.” Sam swallowed thickly, feeling uncomfortable with the compliments being showered upon her as Alex continued her impassioned speech. “And there's no way, Ruby could ever think you're not there for her or not putting her first. She feels comfortable talking to you about anything and knows that you would drop everything at the drop of a hat if she needed you.” 

“Thank you…” Sam finally muttered, deflating as Alex’s words lifted a heavy, hidden weight off her shoulders, “I think I just need to hear that I'm not messing everything up every once and awhile.”

“I think everyone needs that.” Alex remarked with a soft smile and a nod of her head, “And I'm glad I got to be that person for you.”

“Me too.” Sam agreed, leaning forward to pull Alex into a tight, all encompassing hug.

 

* * *

  
“Thanks again.” Alex shyly said, shifting from foot to foot on the doorstep.

“How many times do I have to tell you that Ruby and I love having you?” Sam teased with a coy smile as she leaned against the doorway to better admire the figure Alex cast with the night sky as a backdrop. “No thanks are necessary. Your company is more than enough.”

“And how many times do I have to tell you that I simply like showing how grateful I am for  _ your  _ company?” Alex shot back, biting her bottom lip in a far too enticing manner.

“Fine.” Sam relented rolling her eyes as she did so.

“I'll see you in a couple of days, then?” Alex checked timidly as if fearing that Sam and Ruby would decide over night that they didn’t want her around anymore.

“Of course.” Sam affirmed intent on removing all self-doubt from Alex’s mind. Alex perked up and gave her a beautiful smile as Sam affectionately said, “Bye.”

Sam smiled wistfully, resting her head against the closed door once Alex had disappeared from sight on her motorbike. An exasperated groan from the stairs behind her had Sam whirling round to see Ruby watching her with a bored and unimpressed expression. 

“Mum, I just wanted to pre-warn you that I am going to be organising an intervention for you.” Ruby announced, raising her chin defiantly.

Sam’s mouth opened and closed for a moment as her mind whirred to think of anything she did that could possibly require an intervention. (Sam came up with more options than she cared to admit…).

“Why?” Sam eventually managed to cough out.

Ruby raised an eyebrow in a non-verbal ‘do you really need to ask?’, Sam’s confusion merely grew causing Ruby to roll her eyes, “Because I am sick of the pining. Ask her out already!”

“I don't know what you’re…”, Sam began to splutter out her denial but a sharp look from her daughter reprimanded her enough to meekly murmur the truth, “I'm building up to it…”

“You've been building up to it for  _ months _ now!” Ruby yelled back indignantly.

“She hasn't made a move either!” Sam whined childishly.

“Well, I can't have an intervention for coach…” Ruby huffed, shrugging dismissively, “I don't have home field advantage. And you're much easier to take by surprise.”

Sam was about to argue back on that final point but the words deserted her when she remembered her fourteenth birthday where she failed to work out there was to be a surprise party for her despite all of her friends’ suspicious behaviour, being explicitly told she couldn’t go into certain rooms of the house and actually seeing the cake. 

Sam had to admit she was pretty easy to surprise. 

“If you plan on surprising me, why did you pre-warn me?” Sam asked curiously, quiriking her head to the side in question.

“I want to surprise you, not give you a heart attack.” Ruby answered with a cheeky smirk.

“I'm not that old!” Sam huffed, unwilling to acknowledge her slowly growing appreciation for an early night and her growing dislike of the songs that populated the top 40.

“One month Mum”, Ruby threatened unflinchingly, “or I'm organising an intervention  _ and _ I’ll get Julie to help.”

“You wouldn't dare!” Sam shouted, shocked by how quickly her daughter was to employ nuclear weapons.

“Try me.” Ruby dared with a shark-like smile.

Sam always knew her daughter would one day conquer the world, at least she now had evidence to back up that belief.

 

* * *

  
Sam answered her phone the second she saw Ruby’s name flash up on the screen. It was just past the end of school on Thursday so Sam wasn’t expecting a call from Ruby, she especially wasn’t expecting the shouted exclamation that nearly deafened her.

“Mum! I figured it out!”

“That Maths question from last night?” Sam cheered, letting out a sigh of relief, “Good because i was completely stumped which is just embarrassing considering my jo-”

“No, Mum!” Ruby practically squawked in her haste to interrupt. “You and Coach Danvers.”

“Turns out you were right,” Sam acknowledged, “I was taken by surprise by this intervention, I figured you would at least have the decency to do it in person.”

“Mum! Just stop talking and listen!” Ruby demanded and Sam dutifully shut up allowing a long, awkward pause to settle over the line,  “Are you listening?”

“I thought I wasn't allowed to talk.” Sam replied glibly, producing an annoyed growl of frustration from her daughter.

“Grrr… she’s oblivious, Mum.” Ruby yelled, “She has absolutely no idea that you're interested in her. She just can't see it.”

“Pfft… come on.” Sam dismissed with a puff of air, balancing the phone between her ear and shoulder so she could order her papers on the desk in front of her, “She must have some idea… she simply doesn't want to cross the line of friendship or the professional line of her being your teacher.” Sam explained, purposefully not picking the option, which Sam secretly thought was the most likely one, that Alex simply wasn’t interested in her (she tried not to think of about it too much as it kind of ruined all of her fantasies if she did). 

“You’d think that…” Ruby hummed, “but no. She has no clue.”

“I don't believe that…”, Sam responded, rolling her eyes at even the suggestion. Alex was intelligent, empathetic and knew Sam better than anyone else by this point. 

There was absolutely no way Alex didn’t know how Sam felt by now.

“It's a Danvers thing, Ms. Arias!” A boisterous male voice asserted enthusiastically from somewhere in the background of the call. 

“Kyle?” Sam checked, recognising the cheerful tone to belong to Kyle, Ruby’s best friend and constant companion.

“Shh…”, Ruby hushed harshly, “we don't have time for the whole story-”

“Sure we do as long as we skip through all the feelings crap.” Kyle interjected, and his declaration was followed by a ruffling sound which was presumably Kyle snatching the phone away from Ruby, “Allow me… alright, Ms Arias you know about Miss Danvers and the fact that Miss Luthor is head over heels in love with her, right?”

“Everyone knows that!” Sam snorted derisively at the unnecessary question.

“Not Miss. Danvers.” Kyle said slowly, pausing after each word to increase the shock effect of the reveal.

“That's impossible, it's  _ so  _ obvious.” Sam muttered, shaking her head in disbelief causing her phone to nearly fall from it’s balanced position. She scrambled to prevent it’s descent and in doing so found her attention fully on the conversation and no longer split by work.

“Exactly, but it took an entire class to make her see that.” Kyle agreed eagerly, “She just didn't know. Once she realised, though, she stormed through the school and kissed Miss Luthor right in the middle of seventh period Chemistry.”

“You’re exaggerating.” Sam had met Kara on numerous occasions and whilst Kara was kind and brave, she avoided public spectacle as much as possible. 

“Nuh uh!” Kyle bit back, and Sam didn’t need to see the giant and ever active football player to know he was jumping up and down, unable to contain his excitement. “My buddy George saw the whole thing. So, on the plus side once the Danvers work it out, they tend to be people of action.”

There was more rustling noises and suddenly Ruby’s voice returned more giddy and hopeful than Sam had ever heard it before.

“Don't you see, Mum?If Coach Danvers is half as oblivious as her sister, she won't have a clue about how you really feel.” Ruby called out in elation before going quiet to wait patiently for an indication of Sam’s own joy. When none came, Ruby prompted gently, “Mum, say something… are you alright?”

Sam exhaled deeply, clinging desperately to the last bit of control she had over her emotions. 

Sam’s voice was steady yet it was cold and sounded positively deadly, “Are you telling me I endured Julie and the PTA for all this time and she... she doesn't KNOW!?”

Sam’s outburst was so explosive, the papers that were stacked neatly on her desk shuddered and spread out in a scared pattern across the available surface as if to escape her fury.

“Mum?” Ruby winced out.

“I'm going to give her a piece of my mind!” Sam shouted, getting decisively to her feet, snatching up her coat and stamping aggressively out of her office.

“Err… Mum… that may not be the best plan...”, Ruby quietly suggested. A long pause followed as Ruby realised with a sense of expectant dread building in her stomach that her Mum had already hung up in her haste, “...and she's gone. I don't think this is going to end well.”

 

 

* * *

 

“YOU!!” Sam roared the second she caught sight of Alex standing on the pitch watching the soccer team run through drills and exercises.

Alex’s head snapped round and her eyes immediately locked onto Sam’s furious approach. Alex raised an eyebrow in question, her jaw dropped and she pointed a finger at her chest as if to say ‘huh, who? me?’.

“Sam?! What's going on? What’s happened?” Alex asked (once she’d gotten a handle on her own fear and trepidation) jogging towards Sam quickly causing them to meet exactly at the white marked sideline of the pitch. 

Parents and students alike had all stopped what they were doing to watch with intense interest the scene playing out in front of them; Alex blushed under their scrutiny whilst Sam easily ignored it due to being wholly consumed with the desire to unleash her anger.

“THE PTA! That's what’s happened!!” Sam gestured wildly with her hands, causing Alex to flinch with fear that she might inadvertently become collateral damage.

“Uh… I'm going to need a little bit more information than that…” Alex muttered, trailing off swiftly upon realising her confusion and ignorance was only serving to make the fire in Sam’s eyes burn brighter.

“Of course  _ you _ do!” Sam agreed, though Alex was at least smart enough to appreciate that this wasn’t a victory for herself. “You wouldn't know what's right in front of you even if someone hit you in the face with it!”

Alex tilted her head to the side, in what under normal circumstances Sam would consider to be an adorable movement, “I get the impression you're about to hit me in the face with whatever it is though?” Alex guessed nervously.

“YES, I AM! THE PTA, ALEX!” Sam’s volume went up by so many decibels that even the soccer team gathered nearly half a pitch away, winced and protectively covered their ears. Alex impressively resisted the urge to cover her own ears but she could do nothing to stop the blood from draining from her face.

“Still don't know what you’re trying to tell me...”

“I HATE THE PTA!” Sam repeated belligerently.

“But you're the head of the PTA…” Alex mumbled, naively thinking that highlighting this fact was useful in some way.

“I am acutely aware of that!” Sam snapped.

“Then why would you-” Alex began, her brow creasing heavily to solve the problem of reconciling these two very different facts.

“Because of  _ you _ ! It's all  _ your  _ fault!” Sam jabbed an accusatory finger at Alex’s chest. 

“I don't see-”, Alex’s expression became pinched as the blame for everything was laid solely at her feet without a good reason as to why.

“Julie guilt tripped me into going that first time, but I stayed because…” For the first time since starting her tirade, Sam hesitated on the edge of laying her feelings so bare, but the momentum she had built up pushed her onwards and the truth came pouring out in an endless stream, “Because of YOU!I learnt to swim because of you! I watch crappy sci fi films every weekend because of you! I became the head of the PTA BECAUSE. OF. YOU!”

“W-w-why?” Alex stuttered out.

“Oh my god, you still don't see it!” Sam then threw her head back and yelled out what Alex should have realised the second Sam had trusted her to help her get over her greatest fear. “BECAUSE I’M IN LOVE WITH YOU!”

“You’re… You're WHAT?” Alex squeaked, a deep red flush spreading across her face as her eyes shone impossibly bright. 

“And I quit!” Sam continued, now totally committed to getting everything off her chest even though it meant she was blind to the positive reaction her previous statement had drawn from Alex, “Did you hear that Julie?! I can see you eavesdropping over there! Hiding behind those finger sandwiches! I QUIT!” And with that dramatic finale, Sam spun on her heel and strode determinedly away.

She got halfway back to her car, when a hand wrapped around her bicep and tugged her back.

“SAM!”

“What?!” Sam demanded, turning around, angry that someone had ruined her amazing storming out (okay, so Sam had to admit that… maybe… just possibly… Ruby got her flair for the dramatic from her).

Sam’s rage, however, instantly began to rescind and dwindle when she found a slightly breathless but absolutely beaming Alex staring at her in sheer awe and wonderment.

“I was only meant to be filling in for my sister.” Alex admitted, struggling to get her sentence out around how wide her smile was.

“Huh?” Sam eloquently questioned, finally starting to appreciate the state of confusion her own random statements had produced in Alex only moments ago.

“That first day.” Alex explained breathlessly, “When we met. I was only meant to be filling in for my sister but then I met you…”, Alex’s hand dropped down from Sam’s bicep to her hand which she squeezed lightly. Sam’s heart began to race, and her chest expanded with hope and excitement at the soft, adoring way Alex was currently staring at her. “And I… I couldn't stop myself from coming back.” Alex cringed slightly in anticipation of her next confession, “I also don't coach that many sports… I just… those five minutes at pick up time, that I get to spend with you… are the highlight of my day.” 

Sam couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to gently cup Alex’s cheek, and the coach instantly leaned into the contact, her minor flash of embarrassment vanishing the second Sam touched her. (Sam also couldn’t stop the equally wide and bright smile from overtaking her face to match the one on Alex’s.)

“I am head over heels in love with you, and I hate the PTA as well.” Alex announced proudly, (Sam thought it was the single most romantic declaration ever made), before pulling on their joined her hands so Sam fell into her arms and connected their lips together for a searing kiss.

The whole world disappeared into nothingness, Sam would have feared falling into the darkness herself as she became lost in the slow movement of Alex’s tongue against hers if she didn’t trust Alex so much to keep her safe. 

Time became irrelevant. Sam had been waiting months for this moment and had endured enough PTA meetings that she felt owed a long first kiss with the woman she loved. 

“Does this mean the intervention is off? Because I made a banner and everything…”

Sam and Alex broke away from their kiss and turned their heads to see Ruby looking between them with the most pleased smile ever plastered on her face. 

Sam let out a full bodied laugh; her heart feeling utterly bursting with love as Alex’s arms wrapped securely around her waist and Ruby gave her full approval with a simple twinkle in her eyes.

“Get in here and hug us already!” Sam ordered, lifting an arm for Ruby to dive under and hug Sam and Alex tightly.


End file.
